The treasures of a sustainable and socially aware world through the eyes of
a Danish Global Citizen

SusDane is a provider of stories about sustainability and social awareness for people with an infinite interest in different cultures, what makes society tick and how trust and understanding can be created between people in a globalised world.

Compact and a little bit courageous couchette

It was with some trepidation that I boarded my night train in Zurich bound for Ljubljlana, Slovenia. Not only was I travelling on my own, I was in a mixed 4-berth couchette for the 12 hour duration. Who would my fellow couchettees be; male or female, would I be able to communicate with them, both in terms of language and behavior or worst case scenario, might the whole journey be spent in silence, awkwardly edging around each other in a weird and uncomfortable game of twister?

Zurich station art - was this a good omen for my journey? I decided that it was!

There was a fair amount of kerfuffle as people were boarding
the train. For quite some time I was the sole occupant of my compartment, just
long enough for the possibility of my fellow travellers having bailed out
becoming an enticing possibility.

Yet with a few minutes to go, three lads came striding down
the carriage, making a beeline for my little would-have-been sanctuary.

Their
backpacks stowed away, next up was our conductor/comedian who swiftly disappeared
with my interrail pass. If this happens to you, don’t worry – it is normal
procedure for them to hold your pass overnight. I know this after questioning
him and becoming an unwitting part of his comedy act. I suppose the job might get
just a little bit dull without the fun of teasing travellers on the way....

Fortunately for me, my fellow passengers turned out to be three
very polite, 20-something Swiss-German guys, friends since school, off on a
beach holiday in Croatia. Their manners were impeccable and sharing our
combined picnics, including a few glasses of wine, we slid through Switzerland
and smoothly into sleeptime in friendly conversation. They even defended me
against an overzealous border-guard who decided to interrogate me. The whole
thing felt like having three brothers, a novel experience for me with my only
sibling a sister.

An advantage of being only four in a compartment is being able to have seating AND sleeping arrangements at the same time

Heights being one of my least favourite things, I had
ensured from the booking stage that the bottom bunk was mine. Seeing the
reality I was supremely pleased with my decision! For people
with no fear of heights the set up is no doubt fine, but having to climb a
ladder and insert myself into a narrow bunk, held in only by two seat belt straps is not my idea of a good time, let alone a good night’s sleep. Add to
that doing it on a train in motion.... Forget it!

I however, slept surprisingly well in my bottom bunk. This
was despite the slips of cloth pretending to be the top and bottom sheet,
combined with a woolly blanket. Our compartment had a unanimous vote, deciding that the aim of the game was to avoid skin contact directly with a) the bunk and b) the
blanket. This proved difficult with the slivers of cloth provided, so a piece of of advice is to follow:

Wear loose clothing that you can sleep in! This
minimizes the worry of the “sheets” slipping, which they undoubtedly will if you move, or even
breathe. It also means you have less need for the blanket and don’t have to
undress. Why bother – roughing it for the night isn’t so bad if you’re prepared
and if you have a hotel booked for the other end you can shower and change
there.

Verdict – I arrived in one piece, relatively well rested. I
must admit that I did have a sneaky nap during the day but all in all I would
say the experience gets the thumbs up!